Housewife Gone Wild

Chapter 24

Wendy made me a nutritious breakfast. I was halfway through my meal when Yvonne came bounding in. “Mom, you’re not going to work today,” she declared. “You have to stay home and play with me.”

I looked at her while spooning my gruel. “From now on, I will be going back to work,” I said. “But we’ll sign you up for some fun classes–you’ll have teachers and classmates to keep you company.”

Yvonne’s face paled at the mention of classes. In an instant, she was pointing at me, her voice rising to a wail. “I don’t want classes. You’re mean. I hate you. I’m telling Grandma.” She turned and ran toward the door to find her grandmother.

“Come back,” I commanded, my voice icy. “Go ahead–try telling on me.”

Yvonne’s face was still wet with crocodile tears. She turned to look at me, her eyes wide–almost like she was seeing me for the first time. And for just a second, I caught a flicker of fear.

bread down slowly, took a sip of lemon water, and fixed her with a cold stare.

have a different mother, go ask your

“Mom, I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I won’t talk back again. And I won’t tattle to Grandma.

to remember how, in my previous life, she’d still been taking Tracy’s side even when she was

said I deserved the pain, that I was my own worst enemy,

how to fix it. All I wanted was to

easy on our kids. It encouraged us to offer support rather than impose limitations, to foster happiness instead

the 80s and 90s, caught between these new ideas and how we were raised, it became exhausting

my temples, I nudged Yvonne toward her pony and went upstairs to

neck and back. Back then, I would’ve covered every one, too shy to

hiding a single one. Why should I?